Beyond The 45
Singles, EPs, Downloads
The Fatea office also serves as a home for our weekly Along The Tracks show on Folk Friday Radio and as a rule singles and Eps have generally gone in that direction whilst Fatea generally concentrates on albums and live reviews for our full length feature, but with more artists going back down the single route to keep themselves in the public eye, we thought it was time to reflect that in our offerings and as rules are made to be broken or at the very least adapted, welcome to the Singles Round Up.
Beaux Gris Gris and the Apocalypse - You Better Satisfy Your Queen
www.beauxgrisgris.com
A blues rock group from California who have both British and American members and specialise in touring on both sides of the pond. They are over in the UK from March 23rd to May 7th. The sound is energetic and loud, reminding me of a pumped up early Led Zeppelin with some notable riffs. The lead singer is Greta Valentini and she has a powerful high voice and the energy of the band is generated from the Jimmy Page-like electric guitars and the powerful rhythm section. There is a twist though with the middle eight that gives the song a pivot and enables the mix to evolve in a powerful fashion. An interesting single, and a great band to catch live over the next couple of months. AS
Ruth Theodore - Hold On Me
ruththeodore.com
Signed to Ani DiFranco's Righteous Babe label, the pleasant Jazzy intro builds to something that seems to be aiming into Steely Dan relaxed groove territory. Producer Todd Sickafoose has worked with Anais Mitchell, and this has a feel of both her and DiFranco but with a smoother production. It's good, but untypical of the rest of the songs released so far from her new album, I Am, I Am, which are far closer I spirit to her label boss and Anais Mitchell. TM
Driven Serious - A Million Light Years
drivenserious.com
Folk Rock in roughly the same part of the landscape as bands like The Levellers, but with a unique voice in the combination Caroline Hoile's Cello and Alistair McCubbin's Fiddle which lift an otherwise straightforward tune into something notable, and vibrant. TM
Reevah - Golden (Radio Edit)
www.reevahmusic.com
Her press says that Reevah is "constantly evolving from her singer-songwriter roots." Here that seems to mean experimenting with drum machines and keyboards to produce something consciously different sounding from the routine acoustic guitar you might expect from a song like this. Her voice and approach to the song reminds me of Nerina Pallot's first album and she's gone onto great things, and Reevah's debut Daylight Savings sounds to have some other good, interesting songs to try. TM
Sarah Rose - Take To The Grave
www.facebook.com/SarahRoseShawcross
Superior folk/pop with country tinges. Her pedigree includes a variety of commercial songwriting gigs, and she is now releasing her own work. This song that seems to be speaking of a troubled relationship is a great example of the number top grade singer/songwriters doing nothing startlingly new but producing music that makes you hit the replay button. TM
John Greene - No Water But The Sea
www.jogrn.com
A Latin, almost Bossa Nova shuffle alerts you to this being something more than just another round of singer songwriter material. Having worked backstage in music and in local bands for the last 40 or more years Greene has accumulated the life experience to have an authentic voice of his own. He normally seems to work in a more Americana setting, but this is exceptionally good and clearly someone to investigate further. TM
Anya Hinkle - Devil Chasin Me
anyahinkle.com/home
An almost Africa repeating riff kicks into a funky blues tune which stands out from the mostly fairly pedestrian music that calls itself blues these days. Her light voice is a welcome change from the gritty sound that a lesser singer would aim for on this tune. Her album Oceania has some more country elements to it but is very much worth your time. TM
Andrea Black - Waiting For A Lifeline
www.andreablack.com
An acoustic tune that builds into some jazzy minor chords and organ over Black's slightly tremulous voice. Unusual and worth sampling. Far more assured is the B side Restless, a trip hoppy tune with breathy vocals. She seems to have been through the record business mill somewhat but has merged producing some intriguing music that you should absolutely listen to. TM
Gozer Goodspeed - Watch Me Walk
www.gozergoodspeed.co.uk
The latest single from Devon artist Gozer Goodspeed has a swagger and sneer to his singing and a wall of sound that echoes many of the best bits of the 60s without ever sounding less than contemporary. As he says himself. "Only Gozer Goodspeed can write a song that is defiant, introspective, intimate and confrontational all at once." If he comes to your town see him live, he's a force to reckon with. TM
Orianthi - First Time Blues
www.orianthi.me
With Michael Jackson, Alice Cooper on her guitar playing CV as well as some fine solo work Orianthi doesn't need to be propped up having "Ft Joe Bonamassa" on her latest single. The flashy central solo is clearly Bonamassa and the second more restrained one I assume to be herself. Produced by Kevin Shirley this is clearly aiming for Bonamassa and Shirley's Black Country Communion audience, and it's good enough to win them. Great blues rock song. TM
Anna Anise - Overexposed
www.annaanise.comHer new single, 'Overexposed,' "explores the Celtic influence of her Cornish roots with its full-bodied dropped guitar tuning and gripping fiddle accompaniment." Having joined the hotbed of folk artists working out of Devon she is producing some truly great modern folk music. Having seen her live I can attest to the spellbinding quality of this tune being very much how she approaches everything she does. TM
August Charles - Blessed
augustcharless.komi.io
Claiming the influence of Frank Ocean and Amy Winehouse Yorkshire by way of Zambia soul singer August Charles has embraced the latest trends in Alt-Soul and made a sound all his own. This is state of the art R&B with elements drawn form the London Jazz scene. If you like Emma-Jean Thackery and similar singers, try this, and expect to hear it on Jazz FM any time now. TM
Fatea Showcase Sessions
The Fatea Showcase Sessions are a series of downloads featuring acts that we've really enjoyed and think that more people should get the chance to hear.
Pirate is the current session and features 16 fantastic artists check out the website to find out more about them and download your copy
www.fatea-showcase-sessions.co.uk for all the artist information.
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